ECSA on Strategic Priorities for EU Shipping

The European Community Shipowners's Association (ECSA) has
published its new strategic priorities for 2019-2024, in line
with the new cycle of the EU institutions where the European
Parliament has just started its mandate and the European
Commission's College is being composed.

Entitled "Sailing ahead - European shipping sets ambitious goals
for its next chapter", the publication outlines ten priority
areas which the European shipping industry will be focusing on.

"To be very clear, climate is the top priority for the whole
shipping sector," commented ECSA Secretary General, Martin
Dorsman.

"The industry is keen to work with its European and global
partners to reach the goal set by the IMO to cut CO2 emissions by
at least 50% by 2050. This means we need to start working now to
ensure the necessary alternative fuels, bunker infrastructure and
technologies are developed in time to be taken up on a global
scale. This is a huge challenge and also opportunity for the
sector," Dorsman added.

Following this are the issues of trade and competitiveness. Faced
with the disruptions caused by the US-China trade war, the
breakdown of the global multilateral trading system as well as
the state-funded unfair competition posed by other global
shipping centers, the European shipping industry needs to
re-calibrate its competitive advantages in order to remain on top
of its game.

A successful European shipping industry directly impacts for the
whole European economy, as 76% of the EU's trade in goods is
transported by sea.

Closely related to these priorities is the area of human
resources: "Europe has a long maritime tradition that spans over
at least three millennia. Our industry is strong due to our
unique knowhow and talent pool, resulting from this history.
Attracting and retaining talent is intrinsic to the survival of
our industry. This can only be achieved by investing in training
and education, and respecting diversity and social values. We
also need to align this with our ambitious climate goals and the
use of the latest maritime technologies, to make our companies
more competitive and attractive to investors and customers,"
continued Dorsman.

The other priority areas covered in the new strategy publication
are: internal market, digitization and innovation, safety, legal
affairs, taxation and better regulation.